FEDERAL BUDGET DELIVERS A STRONGER FUTURE FOR TASMANIA

29 March 2022

Tonight’s Budget demonstrates a clear choice for a stronger future in Tasmania.

It creates more jobs and investment in skills, small businesses and infrastructure for the entire state. The Budget guarantees essential services of health, education, aged care and the NDIS.

Reducing the cost of living is central to our plan. Tonight, we have heard that the cost of fuel will reduce by more than 22 cents a litre. This will save a family with two cars who fuel up once per week up to $700 over the next six months of the reduction measure.

To further reduce cost of living pressures for Tasmanians, we are providing a new one-off $420 cost of living tax offset for low and middle income earners, and a one-off, income-tax-exempt payment of $250 to eligible pensioners, welfare recipients, veterans and eligible concession cardholders.

We are helping more Tasmanians own their own home by doubling the home guarantee scheme. This will help more first home buyers with a deposit as low as 5 per cent, and as low as 2 per cent for single parents.

We are providing record funding for our health and aged care systems. Medicare is guaranteed under this Government and we are investing $3 billion over 5 years for cheaper medicines to support a healthier Australia.

The Government is also enhancing paid parental leave, providing more families with access to 20 weeks of leave, and letting them decide how they will share the leave. Our changes will ensure new parents who access paid parental leave have greater flexibility and choice.

We are continuing to back our small and family businesses, which are the heart of our local economy and local communities. From tonight, for every hundred dollars a small business spends on training their employees, they will get a $120 tax deduction, helping them become more productive and competitive.

As part of the Government’s 10-year infrastructure pipeline, we are committing an additional $662.2 million towards Tasmanian infrastructure projects, including:

  • $336 million for the Tasmanian Roads Package – Northern Roads Package – Stage 2;
  • $100 million for Great Eastern Drive Tourism Support – Additional Packages; and
  • $96 million for the Tasmanian Freight Rail Revitalisation Program – Tranche 4.

With the measures in this Budget, the Government has committed $4.6 billion to Tasmanian infrastructure projects since 2013-14.

Tonight’s Budget is a clear choice that we are delivering a stronger future for all of Tasmania.

ENDS